February 23rd, 2018
by Kyouryoku Senshi
Summary: Post ep Ghouli. Spoilers. After the events surrounding their son, Mulder has a birthday surprise for Scully. COMPLETE-follow up story coming.
1. Chapter 1

Title: February 23rd, 2018

Author: KS

Rating: PG-13

Summary: Post ep Ghouli. After the events of finding their son, Mulder has a birthday surprise for Scully.

a/n: Special thanks to WildWingSuz for beta-ing!

Mulder had confiscated the surveillance tape before they hit the road again. It was a three hour drive back to Arlington, but Mulder and Scully rode in silence. He hadn't seen Scully that happy in a very long time as she was while watching that tape. Their son had a unique ability to mask his identity using other people. He had told Scully he was going across the country for a road trip. He was just a 17 year old boy though and that worried him. He turned and looked over at Scully who was gazing out at the overcast sky as if she were lost in thought.

She had been looking at the sample of hair she had saved after the DNA test was performed. He reached over with his right hand and gently squeezed hers. She squeezed it back and held on for a short while. He turned away from the road and glanced at her every once in a while. He could see the dried marks of tears on her face. Happy or sad ones he wasn't sure of. He guessed both.

He pulled into a rest stop for another bathroom break so they both could get out and stretch. They were only an hour or so from home, but he also needed to stretch again. It wasn't easy getting old. Mulder finished his business and walked back to the car. Scully was surprisingly back before him. She had draped her coat over her legs and as he slipped back into the car, he noticed her looking down at the snow globe she had taken from William's room. She didn't look up at him at all when he got back into the car.

He sighed and looked at the snow globe that was taking up so much of her attention. It looked different. Scully was startled when Mulder reached over and took it out of her hands. That was when he noticed it was cracked. The water and some of the snow had leaked out. Scully looked up at him as he examined it. He looked back at her and he could see she was upset by it.

"What happened to it?" He asked.

He knew she had gone out of her way to take it from William's room and told him she had wanted something to hold onto.

Scully sighed and closed her eyes. "Right after I told you about it, I was talking outside and it was knocked out of my hand before I could put it back in my pocket. I was crushed. There's something else I didn't tell you though, Mulder."

Mulder looked away from the object Scully seemed to love so much and back at the love of his life.

"Our son didn't just appear to me as the man at the gas station. I saw him before, right outside of the hospital after his body was discovered missing. I wasn't paying attention and I ran into him, I dropped it and it cracked. He picked it up and handed it to me," her voice broke as more tears threatened to fall. "And asked me if I liked windmills."

Mulder handed it back to her and she clasped it tightly in her hands. "All while probably thinking, Mom, what are you doing stealing my stuff?" he said with a chuckle.

Scully laughed and rubbed at her eyes. "He...he also told me not to give up on the bigger picture."

Mulder looked intrigued. "That line is meant for you, Scully. I think he may have bumped into you just for a chance to talk with you, even if he couldn't show you who he really was."

Hearing that made Scully feel more reassured. "He heard everything I told him, Mulder, while lying in that body bag," she said with realization.

Mulder reached over and gently clasped her shoulder. "That's why he said the things he did to you at the gas station, Dana. You didn't fail him, ever, and he knows that."

Scully held the globe tightly in her hands. "It doesn't stop me from worrying about him. I want so badly to follow him. He's only 17 and driving across the county alone."

Mulder nodded. "I know, but he'll be fine. We'll see him again...soon," he said with certainty as if reading her mind. "He knows about what's going to happen. He knew we were just trying to keep him safe. That's what he's doing now, trying to keep us safe since everyone around him is in danger. That's why he appeared to you as he did."

Scully smiled. "I know...I just, now that I know him, I can't help but worry. I stopped by his therapist's office yesterday. He loved his adoptive parents, Mulder, and ultimately they made the sacrifice because of his ties to us."

Mulder pulled out from the rest stop and drove towards home. "Why were you there, Scully?"

"After seeing his medications I was worried that he might really have a mental illness to some degree...I just needed some answers. I saw what your depression did to you and I just-"

Mulder gripped the steering wheel. "You think it's genetic," he said trying to hold back the resentment he felt at that moment. She didn't need that right now, that was in the past.

Scully sniffled and looked back at him. "It is highly genetic," she started noticing Mulder's body language. "But I didn't stop loving you ever, Mulder and if our son has it too, I want to be there to ease his pain. I know, I never should have left. I'm so sorry for that Mulder, I could only think about myself at that time."

Mulder relaxed slightly and reached back to touch her hand reassuringly. "I know-we both made choices we regret," he said recognizing this wasn't all her fault. "Did you want me to drop you off, Scully?"

She looked over at him. "No, Mulder. I want us to go to the house tonight. I don't want to be alone right now."

He smiled. "Home it is then, Scully."

Part 1 of 3

This is going to be a short 3-4 part story. To be continued...


	2. Chapter 2

It had been a few weeks since Scully and Mulder had gotten some closure on their son. They worried about him and whether or not he made it across the country okay as Scully hadn't received any dreams or visions from him since their gas station encounter. He suspected, based on Scully's vision, that it wouldn't be the last they saw of him.

Scully's birthday was tomorrow and Mulder wanted to do something special for her, so he invited her over for dinner. She had been feeling sick the past couple of days, however.

They were getting ready to leave the office after typing up a report on a recent case. Scully was at Mulder's desk with her feet up as he sat opposite her.

"I'm sorry, Mulder. I just haven't been feeling well."

He looked at her, concerned. "Are you sure you're okay?"

She tried to smile. "Yeah...it's just, well remember when I told you about being at the end of my journey? I've been in perimenopause for a little while and I think this might really be it now," she said as she looked at him with a sad smile.

Mulder understood the finality was bothering her. With everything that happened recently with finding out about William, he knew the parenthood ship having sailed with absolute finality was upsetting to her. It was one of the reasons she had been so insecure about their future recently. Part of them had hoped to be parents someday and, until now, William already had that. Mulder hoped someday they could be closer with him, but the fact remained was that he had another family who raised him. It wouldn't be the same.

He crossed the room as Scully threw her coat over her shoulder. She stopped when he reached out and placed his hand on her shoulder. She stood up and placed her hand over his and managed a small smile.

"He will come back to us, Scully," he said as he moved to brush her hair back and cupped her cheek in his hand. She was a bit warmer than usual and her skin was slightly clammy. "I know it."

Scully smiled as he continued.

"I can just pick you up a little later tomorrow and take you to the house. You can rest there. You're not spending the day alone," he insisted. "Or I'll come to you and I'll make it impossible for you to get rid of me,and I have a surprise for you."

"Mulder, you know I don't like surprises."

Mulder smiled, throwing his coat over his shoulder. "You'll like this one though, I promise."

"Okay, deal. I'll come over. I'd rather come to the house."

Scully looked a bit queasy as she sat up from the chair. "I'm going to go home. I hope I feel better tomorrow," she tried with a smile.

Mulder couldn't help but worry. He was also mildly disappointed she wasn't coming home with him, though they did spend most of their time together at the house these days. He knew part of this was keeping up appearances with the higher ups. He couldn't handle that forever though.

About 25 minutes later, Scully had finally made it to her small apartment. Just after she closed the door, she dropped her things to the floor. She was nauseous and fatigued. She forced herself the rest of the way to her bed and dropped down onto it, falling asleep shortly after.

The next day, Scully decided to stay home as her symptoms had remained the same. Mulder offered to come and get her.

He had called her cell once he was on her street due to the limited parking. Even though she had drawn on her long black coat, she shivered as she made her way to the SUV waiting for her outside. She put her purse and an overnight bag in the back seat and Mulder smiled at her when she got into the passenger seat next to him. "I picked up some food, Chinese...that way we can go eat at home. I even made you a cake."

Scully was touched. She still wasn't feeling well, but she appreciated how Mulder always made sure she felt loved even if it wasn't something they expressed verbally very often. "Oh Mulder," she whispered.

He pulled away from the curb. If it wasn't for him, she'd be spending the day solitary. She missed him whenever she was at her apartment. "I know it's not much, but I'm not great in the kitchen. I still need to do some shopping, but I did clean up."

About 30 minutes later, Mulder pulled up in front of the unremarkable house they once shared. Despite the fact that it no longer had her touch and design taste, she always felt at home compared to her lonely apartment. Mulder grabbed the food and went around and opened the door for her and they went inside the house. Scully gasped. Mulder wasn't joking when he said he had cleaned. It was impressive even for him. The wooden table they had picked out together at IKEA was adorned with a rose bouquet that he must have gotten last night. They had done something very similar on Valentine's Day even though they never really were the type to celebrate such things.

Mulder had set her things upstairs before coming back and setting up the table. "Meet your expectations, Doc?"

Scully smiled. "Yeah, you really outdid yourself, Mulder...you didn't have to do all this, really. I'd actually like to forget how old I'm getting," she said as she tucked a strand of wavy hair behind her ear. She sank into one of the wooden table chairs.

Mulder laughed. "Still got plenty of scoot in your boot," he reminded her.

Scully smiled. "Thanks, I think."

They began to eat and to Scully's surprise, she actually had quite an appetite.

He had brought out a chocolate cake that looked like homemade with 'Happy Birthday, Scully!' written across the top and sang to her. Candles were lit and everything.

Mulder had really wanted her to feel special. She deserved so much more than he could possibly give her. Sometimes he wondered why she hadn't moved on. There was no reason for her to be insecure.

He saw the tears in her eyes, no doubt wishing their son was with them. When they were finished eating, Scully had asked him to play the tape again...the one from the gas station. It had been a few weeks since they'd seen it and she wanted to see his face again. It brought tears to their eyes once again.

Scully and Mulder were sitting on the loveseat and she shivered slightly. "Cold?" He asked.

She nodded. "I don't know, I'd been feeling really warm before."

Mulder adjusted the heat on the thermostat and brought out a blanket to wrap her in. "Thank you," she smiled. "For this."

He knew she meant for more than just a blanket. Mulder nodded. "Well, I'd like to give you your present-it's not a big deal, but I hope you like it."

Scully smiled. "Okay."

It was then that Mulder also produced a blindfold. Scully managed a laugh. "Kink? Right now?" She teased.

"I'm going to lead you to your surprise, Scully."

For some reason, Scully instantly thought of handcuffs, chains and a bed full of roses and candlelight. "Mulder, what are you up to?" she asked skeptically.

"It's a surprise. Now turn around, Scully."

She reluctantly obliged and he gently wrapped the cloth around her face and tied it behind her head, careful not to pull on her hair. She pulled the blanket around her shoulders as he guided her to her feet.

"I'll guide you, no stairs involved," he said with a grin that she could hear. Scully followed him with anticipation and they stopped about 20 feet later.

"Okay, ready?"

Scully nodded her head and he removed the cloth. However, it took her a moment to find what she was supposed to be seeing. The photos of Jackson Van De Kamp she had confiscated decorated part of the shelf, and the baseball one always stood out to her. She knew Mulder would cherish that one in particular. When she got to the surprise, she gasped. Also on the shelf was the snow globe she had taken from William's room. As if she were seeing it for the first time, it looked like it had been shaken up...only Mulder had his hands on her the entire time. She reached out,picked it up and looked it over. It was no longer broken and looked exactly the same as the day she first saw it. She clasped it tightly in her hands. "Oh Mulder, how did you-" her voice broke.

He smiled. "I Googled this place that made and fixed snow globes; turns out the internet isn't so bad after all," he grinned. Her expression made his heart swell.

He watched the tears come down her face as she held it to her chest. She was speechless. "I didn't tell you, Scully, but-" he started as he reached back to the shelf and grabbed another snow globe she didn't see at first. "I also took a little thing of Jackson's for myself," he held the globe in his hands for her to see.

She gasped and wiped away her tears. She smiled as she instantly recalled this globe being next to hers. "Sasquatch...Oh, Mulder!" Scully was choked up.

"He's definitely our son, Scully...as if there were ever any doubt. How could I ever pass this one up? Just wait until he sees my Sasquatch costume someday."

Scully pictured Mulder in the giant Sasquatch costume he had to have been in when she had called him recently while he was out "squatching" and laughed.

"And the Bigfoot mold you used for that Goop-O stuff you wouldn't eat. I had to eat it all myself, preservatives and carcinogens and all. I must admit it was pretty damn good, Scully."

Scully stared at him in shock while turning the small globe over in her hands. "Wow, Mulder."

"Someone had to eat it," he shrugged and placed the Sasquatch globe back on the shelf.

Scully looked back down at the globe in her hands and Mulder turned back to her.

"They replaced the clear piece and just added water to it, good as new. Apparently you can build your own too," he smiled.

Scully looked back at Mulder. "Thank you, Mulder. I couldn't have asked for a better birthday," she smiled. "It means a lot to me."

Mulder reached out and gently squeezed her shoulder. "I know, I'm sorry we couldn't collect anything more than we were able to after the DOD hijacked the investigation. At least we got some of his pictures and his notebook."

Scully smiled back at him and carefully placed her globe back on the shelf next to the Sasquatch globe. "I'll keep it here, they belong together," she smiled. He knew Scully meant that she hoped that they would one day be a family again in this house. It gave him hope.

"Happy Birthday, Scully."

To be continued….


	3. Chapter 3

After a quick lovemaking session, Scully rested in Mulder's arms. She had opted to put her silk pjs on once again. It was still too cold to sleep naked in February. She wasn't sure what she had been thinking when they stayed at the St. Rachel motel on a case about six weeks ago.

Mulder had his arm lovingly wrapped around her, fast asleep. She needed to get up though, her face was getting hot and clammy and she was feeling nauseous again. She went to move his arm, only she couldn't move. It took her a moment to realize she was in a hypnogogeic state once again. She really felt sick. A moment later she nearly fell off the side of the bed, barely catching herself.

Scully was afraid the noise had woken Mulder, but he still appeared to be sleeping. She sighed and looked up as a shadow passed through the room. Scully did not retrieve her gun this time. She followed the shadow to the stairs. Her nausea seemed to have passed temporarily.

"Jackson?" She whispered, the name still sounding somewhat foreign on her tongue. She wasn't sure if she'd ever get used to it, but she had to remind herself that her son had likely gone by this name almost all of his life.

"Please tell me it's you sending a message to me."

Not bothering to turn on the lights, she made her way carefully down the stairs. She turned towards the shelf with their snow globes and she could see her globe once again looked as if it was shaken up.

"Will-Jackson, please tell me you're okay," she whispered as she walked over to the globe. Before she could grab it, she whirled around at the movement behind her and a tall hooded figure appeared from behind. She almost cried out before she saw his face. Jackson.

"You fixed it," he said.

Scully nodded, not noticing the tears spilling down her cheeks. She followed her son through the dark house and she realized he was much taller than she was without her heels on. She followed him down the hallway until their surroundings seemed to vanish into thin air. She looked around and appeared to be in a brightly lit hospital. She turned back to her son, only he was gone. "Jackson," she called out.

In the distance, she could hear a faint cry. Something was odd about this place. The hospital wasn't overflowing with patients, it was oddly vacant. She followed the sound of the cry and turned down a corridor that led to a nursery. Only the nursery was also vacant, aside from a single newborn.

She carefully approached the bassinet and looked in at the red faced bundle. It had a pink cap, it was a girl. Scully looked around. There were no nurses or hospital staff in sight. It was if they were trapped in a dollhouse. Turning back to the bassinet, her mothering instincts from all those years ago took over. She took the baby into her arms, something she thought she'd never do again and rocked the child gently.

"Shhh, it's okay, sweetie." The baby was instantly calm, and it was then that Scully noticed the wristlet on the baby's tiny hand. She gently held the baby's hand as close as she could for further examination. The wristlet read "Scully" on it. On a table next to the bassinet was Scully's cherished snow globe. The hospital surroundings suddenly vanished before her and she was back inside their house, but in a bedroom.

She was holding a baby that was slightly older and bigger, in front of a crib. She looked down and the child had soft downy red hair and dark grey eyes. She couldn't explain it, but she felt at peace as the baby babbled away. "Sleepy time, sweetie," she heard herself whisper as she set the baby down. She hadn't felt this content in a long time. A moment later, the child and the nursery had vanished.

Scully gasped as she opened her eyes to the darkness of their bedroom. She was still in bed, with Mulder still fast asleep beside her. She was nauseated and took a deep breath before she let her head fall back onto the pillows.

Scully had wanted another child, even though the logical part of her told her that it wasn't practical after everything they had been through, not to mention next to impossible with her age and medical history. There was no way she could be pregnant; that ship had sailed. A feeling gnawed at her, however, and she wouldn't be able to put it to rest until she knew for sure. She would pick up a few tests tomorrow and re-live the pain of the negative result she had been accustomed to.


	4. Chapter 4

The next day was a Saturday, thankfully. Scully made up an excuse to Mulder that she had some errands to run, much to his disappointment. He drove her back home even though he was really hoping they could spend the weekend together, even though it was wishful thinking. "I'll be back later tonight," she promised.

Mulder smiled. "It'll be like a date," he grinned. "And more romantic, promise...I'm trying hard to make good on us spending more time together."

Scully smiled. "I know, I'll see you later." She gently patted Mulder's arm before opening the car door.

Mulder watched as she walked into her apartment building. She seemed to be feeling slightly better, much to his relief. It always worried him when she was sick, no matter how mundane the reason.

Scully stopped at the convenience store near her apartment. She grabbed several pregnancy tests and threw them in her basket. Clear Blue, First Response. As a doctor, she knew the accuracy of the tests was fairly reliable but she needed to be sure, especially if she needed to make an appointment to see her doctor. In addition to the tests, she grabbed a few other items she needed. She didn't really grocery shop much since she was hardly ever at her apartment these days. They often had take out or she would grab a few things here and there to bring to the house.

Scully sighed as she made her way to the checkout area. She wasn't sure why, but she suddenly felt as if all the eyes in the store were on her. It was as if people knew exactly how old she was and here she was with several pregnancy tests on the belt. Her face felt hot as she checked out. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the female clerk glancing at her and back to the tests as she rang them up. Judy Poundstone had indicated she only believed Scully to be in her 40's, but she definitely looked old enough to be finished with her childbearing years even if she didn't look quite 54. "Hey good for you, lots of women are having kids later these days. Hell, I had my first at 37," the clerk said.

Scully smiled awkwardly, probably turning fifty shades of red before she quickly grabbed her things and couldn't get out of there fast enough.

Today was a day she regretted taking the stairs as she began to feel dizzy and her knees went weak. She forced herself to take the remaining stairs and entered her small apartment. She used to have a large two bedroom apartment years ago but without a family, she decided simple was better and had opted for a small furnished one bedroom. It made her wonder who was living in her old apartment. She could only hope they hadn't had the misfortune of monsters invading their home.

Scully set her things on the couch and hurried to the bathroom. They had given Skinner a hard time about his lack of interior decorating, but she didn't want to admit hers was just as impersonal. It was clear she was hardly there as well.

Scully followed the instructions of each pack and set 3 tests on the bathroom sink while she waited. She clasped her hands in front of her and nervously tapped her foot. She remembered how she found out about her pregnancy with William and the mixed emotions that came along with it. The circumstances weren't ideal, but her pregnancy had gotten her through Mulder's abduction and presumed death. Otherwise she probably would have crawled into that casket too.

Now she would be a geriatric mother with a mid life crisis baby. Part of her really wanted this. She was forced to give up the first child she had wanted so much and there was no way to undo all the time she lost. He had another mother and father who were now dead and he was God knew where. It felt like it was killing her. He had proven to them both he could protect himself, but he was just 17. She imagined him as the tiny baby she had given away and still she struggled trying to imagine him as a young adult. Scully took a deep breath and despite her heart beat ringing in her eardrums, she took each test one by one and compared them. Her mouth went wide as she stared at them in shock. They were both positive. She was pregnant.

Suddenly feeling bile in the back of her throat, she gripped the porcelain sink as her knees weakened. She all but threw up the toilet seat and barely made it into the toilet as she emptied the contents of her stomach. She began shaking and it took a few minutes before her stomach finally seemed to settle. Scully took a few deep breaths and pulled back her long hair that had gotten in the way. "Time for a shower," she thought. Scully wiped her mouth on her hand and flushed the toilet with the other. Scully slowly stood up and washed her face and hands. She glanced at herself in the mirror once more as she did those 6 weeks ago, looking for evidence of aging. A few more wrinkles and a slightly receding hairline. This time, she could see her face had filled out just slightly, which she suspected was a result of the pregnancy. She tried to look for it, that glow pregnant women seemed to have and she couldn't see it.

It hadn't been easy hiding the news from Mulder, but Scully needed to see a doctor to be sure. To make sure it was okay. She really hadn't expected their conversation to come to fruition after the love making session in that motel.

Scully had been easily distracted and Mulder caught her zoning out on multiple occasions.

"Scully?" He had probably repeated himself for the fifth time in annoyance.

Her gaze was fixed on their I Want To Believe poster, but her thoughts were elsewhere.

"Hmmm," she said, drawn out of her reverie. Mulder was looking at her, concern etched over his features. She wondered if he could see the changes in her. It felt as if the world knew her secret.

"Are you okay? You haven't really been paying attention to anything I've said today and you looked completely oblivious to every word Skinner said in our meeting today."

It took Scully a moment, but she shook her head. "Yeah, I'm fine, Mulder." She debated telling him for a moment. He eyed her skeptically, something she normally would do. "Really," she tried to sound more convincing. "I'm just worried about William...Jackson. That's all."

Mulder nodded. That seemed to be convincing enough for now. "We will see him again, Scully. I know he's only 17, but he's proven he can protect himself."

Scully managed a smile. She wanted to tell him desperately about the tests, but she wasn't ready to get either of their hopes up. In her medical estimation, she was about 6 weeks or so along. If she was indeed pregnant, the timing matched up perfectly since she had just started noticing symptoms. Project Crossroads was also out of the question now since it had been dead for 15 years.

"Dana," he had said again, getting her attention right away this time.

Scully had zoned out again.

"I want you to tell Skinner you need some time off," he said.

Scully shook her head. "No, Mulder. I'm needed here."

He looked as if he wanted to argue with her, but he didn't.

She had left early at his insistence and she was slightly grateful she didn't have to come up with a bullshit excuse to leave for her doctor's appointment. She had found a very reliable OBGYN she had spent a great deal of time searching for. She didn't want to find herself in some type of Dr. Parenti organization.

The office was bright and cheery, as were the medical staff that signed her in. She filled out some paperwork and anxiously waited for a few minutes before she was called back. Scully was greeted by a friendly nurse that introduced herself as Dr. Jones before taking her weight and blood pressure. She followed the nurse down the hall into a room that was prepped and ready with an ultrasound machine. Scully smiled nervously as the nurse asked her a few questions and then advised her the doctor would be in shortly. Scully set her things on a chair and glanced at the wall decorations as she waited on the exam table. Pictures of babies were pinned to one side of the wall, along with the usual body anatomy statues, posters, birth control and pregnancy brochures.

The photos of the babies caught her eye the most. She assumed these must have been patients. She smiled at the images of all the babies staring back at her and placed her hand over her flat abdomen. For a moment, she tried to imagine herself as a mother once again. Would Mulder be excited? She had limited memories of him with William, but she knew he shared her heartache that parenthood was stripped from them with William. From their conversation in the motel, she could only gather that he would be happy with the news. A moment later, her thoughts were interrupted with the doctor knocking on the door, who entered the room and introduced herself as Dr. Hall. After explaining the test result and the symptoms she was experiencing, they took a urine sample and Scully was waiting in the room once again. Dr. Hall entered the room with a smile on her face.

"Well, Dr. Scully, it does appear that you are pregnant," she started. Although this was the news Scully was expecting, it still came as a shock as if she were hearing it for the first time. She tried to find the words to speak but couldn't. "I know I don't need to tell you that while it isn't impossible, it is quite uncommon for a woman in her early 50's to become pregnant. You may have been in premenopause, which can take several years, but you're not quite there yet. A lot of women will assume they can no longer get pregnant. You mentioned you had fertility issues previously, so I'm sure this is a shock...even though you did have one prior pregnancy 17 years ago," Dr. Hall mentioned as she looked over Scully's medical history.

Scully nodded. She wasn't sure what to say.

"I hope this is exciting news, though I will have to mention this is a high risk pregnancy due to maternal age as I'm sure you already know. There is a much higher chance of down syndrome especially along with other pregnancy complications such as low birth weight and premature child birth to name a fewBut why don't you lay down and we can do ahead and take a look."

Scully did as she was told and pulled back her blouse. Dr. Hall brought the monitor around to face Scully and gasped slightly at the cold gel that was applied to her abdomen. She was both nervous and excited to look at the picture as the doctor moved the wand around on her abdomen before she spotted what she was looking for.

"See, there. That's your baby," she had said. Scully turned to look at the photo on the screen and a moment later she could hear the sound of the baby's heartbeat. Tears filled her eyes as she relived this moment from so many years before. Dr. Hall smiled at Scully and looked back at the screen.

"You're about six weeks along...and so far everything looks great. You have a healthy baby."

Scully wasn't aware of the tear that escaped one of her eyes. It felt like she was in a wonderful dream. Dr. Hall let Scully process the image on the screen for a few moments. "I would recommend we do an amino around 15 weeks, just because you are over 35 and the risk of complications is much higher. I know being a doctor yourself you're already aware there is a small chance of miscarriage after the procedure, so it's best we wait on it."

Scully nodded. "There was nothing abnormal on the tests or anything like that?"

Dr. Hall shook her head. "No, but I will be completely honest that there is a high risk for preeclampsia, gestational diabetes and other complications. I don't want to alarm you, but I feel with a proper treatment plan, you can have a healthy baby. It is still very early on, so you might want to wait on announcing until the 12th week or so since there is a high rate of miscarriage in the beginning of most pregnancies. You appear to be in great health, so I have every reason to believe you'll both be fine."

Scully continued to watch the little black and white blob in wonder. She was going to have another miracle baby.

To be continued...


	5. Chapter 5

Two weeks later, Scully found herself inside a church. She had offered a confession for the first time in many, many years. As devout as she considered herself to be towards her faith, she hadn't kept up with all the Catholic practices to a T since she was a teenager. Today, she was really in need of guidance, though. Lost and confused couldn't even begin to describe how she was feeling even as she felt happy and liberated for the first time in many years. How could you feel all those things at once? They had found their son, only to lose him once again…followed by the news that she was going to have a mid-life baby. They were getting another chance at parenthood, but she was also 54 and the world was about to end.

She was thankful that, with it being a weekday, the church was mostly empty. She was staring up at the stained glass that represented Matthew 19:14. "But Jesus said, suffer the little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven."

Scully looked at the array of lit candles and decided to say some silent prayers for everyone she had lost, especially her mother, Emily, and for the safety of William. Technically this would be her third child, but she didn't really understand what it was like to be a mother. She had carried William for 9 months and raised him for 9 months, whereas Emily she had only known for a few short days before she passed away.

Scully thought that she worried like a mother, but yet she couldn't really identify with other mothers because she had missed most of William's life. In her mind, he still remained the light-haired, blue-eyed 9 month old baby she had to give away and not the dark-haired 17-year-old young man. Of course babies' features tended to change as they grew up and she realized her red hair and blue eyes were recessive traits. He must have gotten Mulder's hair and eye color and she took comfort in that.

Mulder hadn't said much lately about William. She was the one who mentioned Skinner's absence possibly having something to do with William. She still harbored a lot of guilt not only because she was forced to give him away, but because she had to make this choice for Mulder. And that insecurity, of course, led to that conversation at the motel they stayed at 2 months ago. She knew know that it was ridiculous to expect Mulder to move on and have more kids with someone younger. But that insecurity was brought about by the fact that she was the one who had given up their miracle child without his consent. And now, he was reserving whatever emotions he had in regards to William for her sake.

But maybe she could finally give him this? It had been two weeks since the of her pregnancy and she had kept it to herself and today she invited him here to tell him. It was one of those times that she wanted so badly for her mother to be there. She always knew what to say. Scully could have made an educated guess though. Her mom would have told her that God had given her another miracle. That was what she had said before, amidst her skepticism on how William came to be and her need for answers. Project Crossroads had ended 2 years after William was born and so she could at least rest knowing that this baby was not a result of an experiment. It changed nothing, though. William was still their child and she wanted them to be a family.

Scully was startled out of her thoughts by Mulder's footsteps. She turned and smiled at him. He was dressed nicer than usual and she wasn't quite sure why.

"Hi," she had said. "Thank you for coming."

Mulder smiled. "Dana Katherine Scully, who doesn't believe in evil or the devil, standing in a church lighting candles," he teased.

Scully couldn't help to grin at Mulder's attempt at humor. "Don't let anyone in here hear you say that," she mouthed.

Mulder looked over at the lit candles and the stained glass. Mulder knew that candles were lit in memory of loved ones lost. He knew Scully hadn't been to church for years and he knew she must have been really lost if she asked him to come here today.

He recalled standing in a similar church to this one when Emily had died, only she had asked to be alone. While he had sort of intruded on Scully's moment when they presumed William to be dead in the morgue, he was glad she didn't push him away. He also never admitted he heard almost the entirety of her speech to William, though he lied to her and said he only heard part of it. He had been shocked silent at all her admissions especially the part where she mentioned how sad she was that William didn't get a chance to know her or 'his father'. She still felt guilty about the adoption and how she made the choice without him. It had to be the reason for her insecurities at the motel while they were on a case. How on Earth could she ever think he'd move on and have kids with someone else. There would never bee anyone else.

"Thank you for coming," she finally said . He noticed she was avoiding eye contact and it worried him.

"What did you need to tell me that you couldn't tell me at work, Scully?"

Her eyes were watering again and it only made him panic slightly. "Uh, well. I don't know how to say this really. But um, when we were on that case 2 months ago investigating Judy and her brother, I came to you because I was feeling insecure. What I didn't tell you was that Judy had said something to me that gotten to me. She said she didn't know what you saw in me since I was past my prime childbearing years and insinuated that I had no use as a woman-"

Mulder shook his head.

"Scully," he interrupted, feeling a sudden rage and protectiveness over her. If Judy wasn't already dead, Mulder would have killed anyone who dared to hurt Scully like that in a given moment.

"I know, it's ridiculous that I let her get to me. She was a schizophrenic and I really should have known better," she sighed, still not being able to look Mulder in the eye. She pulled her long coat around her body to ward off a sudden chill.

"Why didn't you tell me this sooner?" he asked.

"Because it would have sounded ridiculous."

Mulder moved closer to her and cupped her face in his hands. "Well, it's not. I had no idea why you suddenly thought I'd want to meet someone younger to have kids, and that you had no one to have kids with even if you could-that's ridiculous, Scully. If you wanted to try for another child all you had to do was say so."

It was then that Scully mustered up all the courage she had.

"I'm pregnant," she finally blurted out.

Truth be told, that wasn't how she planned for it to come out, despite rehearing her speech over and over. But there it was.

Mulder pulled back for a moment. Of all the possibilities going on in his mind, that was definitely not something he expected to hear. Scully finally looked up and searched his eyes for some type of reaction and saw nothing but shock. He was speechless.

Scully pulled back and looked down, clasping her hands together. "I know, it's ridiculous. I'm 54 and this is impossible and probably terrible timing too, but I needed you to know. Youhave a right to know," she said.

"How…far along are you?" he asked. Scully knew that message had a double meaning. Mulder was the one feeling insecure now.

She looked up at him and smiled. "Eight weeks," she said with a smile, hoping he did the math.

It took a moment for it to register as he thought back to their case and their stay at the St. Rachel motel. Mulder sighed.

"So that's why you've been sick lately? How long have you known?"

"About two weeks."

Mulder sighed. "I was really worried about you, Scully. You haven't been yourself lately. Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

Scully looked away momentarily. "It's still very early and the risk of complications is quite high. I didn't want to get your hopes up...or mine," the last part came out as a whisper.

Mulder nodded in understanding. He could tell she was worried.

"St. Rachel was the saint of infertility and childbirth, Scully. She had two children late in life."

Scully sighed. "I know—I just hope I don't end up with the same fate, she died in childbirth with her second child."

It was then that Mulder reached out and pulled her into an embrace. "That won't happen, Scully. We're going to retire and I'm going to push your wheelchair with my wheelchair, remember?" Mulder tried to assure her.

Scully sighed against his chest and wrapped her arms around him. "Yes, but I hope we'll be in better shape."

Mulder laughed kissed her forehead. "This is good news...right? You said you wanted another kid."

"Yes, but of course I wasn't expecting it to happen now. How about you? Are you happy, Mulder? I need you to be honest with me."

"I know that I'm going to open an X-File on my sperm."

They both laughed.

"Seriously, Mulder. After everything that's happened and what might happen?"

Mulder knew she meant the business with William, the Smoking Man and Erika Price.

"Scully, you know that given the chance, I'd have another child with you in a heartbeat. So we do what we always do, Scully. We'll take care of business. We will see William again, I know it and I think you do too."

"He knows about the baby, Mulder," she said. "I saw it in my dream."

"You had another vision?"

"Yeah, the night of my birthday. I didn't believe it, but I decided to test just in case. The baby is a girl, Mulder. At least that's what I saw in my dream. We can find out for sure at my next appointment though if you'd like to come with me."

"Of course I'll go with you, Scully. What a birthday, huh?" He grinned.

"Yeah."

Mulder pulled back slightly. "I know I probably don't need to ask this, but is...is the baby okay?"

Scully understood Mulder's anxiety all too well. "Yeah, so far it seems to be," she smiled.

"So what's going to happen now?" he asked.

"Well, I haven't really thought that far ahead...but I think I will need to retire from the FBI sooner than later. I need to go back to work at the hospital, Mulder," she quickly continued after seeing the look of rejection on Mulder's face.

"But you're not getting rid of me that easily," she smiled. "I want to come home, permanently and drive you crazy with my inadequate rationality," she teased.

"No arguments here, soon we'll have an Uber Scully to drive us crazy."

Scully smiled and leaned forward as Mulder did the same.

Mulder placed his hands on her shoulders as they kissed.

"So I guess this is how it ends huh?"

"It's the end of something, but the beginning of something else. We still have work to do, Mulder."

He smiled. "I'll hold you to that, G-woman. Now let's get out of here."

The end

A/N: I'm creating another story that continues right after this one. Thank you all for your reviews and many thanks to my BETA WildWingSuz for taking the time to BETA!


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